Adjustable rubber pad, ferrule, or tip for walking-sticks, crutches, &amp;c.



F. KING. ADJUSTABLE RUBBER PAD FERRULE 0R TIP FOR- WALKING STICKS,CRUTCHES, &c. APPLICATION FILED APR-10, 1920.

1,372,517. I Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC FRED KING, OF GARMARTHEN, WALES;

"Specificationof Letters Patent.

' ADJUSTABLE RUBBER PAD, FERRULE, on HP FOR wnmzmssrrcxs, GRUTCI-IES,8w.

Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

Application filed April 10, 1920. Serial No. 372,784.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, FRED KING, a subject of the King of England,residing at (Jarmarthen, in \Vales, Great Britain, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Adjustable Rubber Pads, Ferrules, or Tipsfor lValking-Sticks, Crutches, and such like, of which the following isa specifi cation.

This invention relates to a ferrule or tip for walking-sticks, crutchesand such like,

in which ferrule there is an elastic pad.

Sticks and the like when they havebeen heretofore made with elastic padsat the tips have had the pad, usually of rubber, with the rubber in theform of rubber caps for the stick-end, or have had a piece of rubberinserted in and projecting from an ordinary ferrule (or from a ferrulesplit at its end into claws engaging a groove in the piece of rubber)and not adjustable endwise to compensate for wear. The object of thepresent invention is to provide the combination of a ferrule with meansto retain an elastic pad in it so that it projects beyond the end of theferrule and can be adjusted as it wears, and removed and replaced by afresh pad as may be desired. This is of practical value in that theferrule itself will last as long as the stick lasts, and only theelastic pad need ever be renewed.

Accordingly, the presentinvention coinprises the combination of aferrule shaped at one end to engage the stick or other article to whichit is to be fitted, and divided at its other end into spring-fingerswhich are screw-threaded or otherwise provided with projections on theirinner faces, and a removable sleeve which'en'circles and isengaged bybayonet -joint slots and studs with the ferrule, and has a borefreducedso that by forcing the sleeve over the exterior of the spring-fingersthey can be pressed inward toward an elastic pad (say a piece of rubber)in between the fingers so as to grip it. The elastic pad protrudesbeyond the end of the ferrule and beyond the ends of the fingers, and asit wears away it can be re-adjusted so as always to present a projectingend until it is too short to be employed any longer, when afterslackingback the sleeve it can beremoved and replaced by a fresh pad.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one construction of acombination according to the present invention,

Figure 1 is an elevation of the complete comb nation with the parts inthe relative positions they assume when the whole is 111 1place upon thestick or the like.

igs. 2, 3 and 4 are vertical central sections of the three elementswhich compose the combination illustrated in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a plan viewof a sleeve which in Fig. 4 is seen in section.

,With reference to these drawings, the ferrule 1 is shaped at its upperend 2 to engage the article to which it is to be fitted, and it isprovided with holes 3 into which nalls may be driven to secure it to thetip; of the article. At the lower end the ferrule is divided by verticalopen-ended slots 4 and 5 into spring-fingers 6 on the inner faces ofwhich a screw-thread 7 is provided. This thread is a buttress threadwith its flats directed toward the tips of the fingers. i A removablesleeve 8 encircles the ferrule and is engaged by studs 9 fixed in saidsleeve with the ferrule by way of the bayonetjoint slots 10. The bore ofthe sleeve 8 is tapered internally, as shown, and at its lower end 11 isreduced in diameter to a degree which makes the internal diameter of thebore there less than the external dia1neter of the lower part of theferrule.

The rubber pad 12 is to be inserted into the lower end of the ferrule 1between the spring-fingers 6. If thereafter the sleeve is forced up overthe outside of the springfingers 6 it will force them inward so as togrip the pad 12 and keep it in place, and

by giving the sleeve a partial turn about its own axis the studs 9 whichproject from its interior are made to engage the short rightangledbayonet-joint slots 10' so as to hold the sleeve in place upon theferrule and keep it in a position 111 whlch the springinto the lower endof the ferrule and also serve as projections which prevent it fromcomingout again accidentally. The flats of the threads prevent unduecompression of the rubber under load.

When the sleeve is home in place, as in Fig. 1, its outer surface wouldpreferably be flush, as shown, with the outer surface of the ferrule 1.

VVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a ferrule having means for attaching itto the article to be fitted therewith, spring fingers formed on saidferrule for the reception of a pad, and means cooperating with saidfingers for forcing them into engagement with the pad, substantially asdescribed.

"2. As an article of manufacture, a ferrule having means for attachingit to the article to be fitted therewith, spring fingers formed on saidferrule and adapted to adjustably receive a pad, and means cooperatingwith said fingers for forcing them into engagement with said pad,substantially as described.

3. As an article of manufacture, a ferrule having means for attaching itto the on said ferrule, buttress threads on said fingers having theirflats directed toward the tips of the fingers, and means for forcingsaid threads into engagement with a pad, I

on said ferrule, means on said fingers adapted to adjustably cooperatewith a pad, a sleeve for forcing said last mentioned means intoengagement with said pad, and means for securing the sleeve incooperative position with said fingers, substantially as described.

6. As an article of manufacture, a ferrule having means for attaching itto the article to be fitted therewith, fingers formed on said ferrule,means on said fingers adapted to adjustably coiiperate with a pad, asleeve for forcing said last mentioned means into engagement with saidpad. and a bayonet joint for holding said sleeve in cooperation withsaid fingers, substamially as described.

7. The combination with a ferrule shaped at one end to engage thearticle to which it is to be fitted and divided at its other end intospring-fingers having buttress threads with their flats directed towardthe tips of the fingers, of a removable sleeve which encircles and isengaged by bayonet-joint slots and studs with the ferrule and has a borereduced for the purpose described, and an elastic pad protruding beyondthe ends of the fingers, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FRED KING.

